[Updated 4PM] — Gumstix says its tiny ARM-Linux SBCs now support the OpenEmbedded (OE) build environment. In addition to pre-built Linux images, the company now offers a “gumstix-oe” collection of source files and bitbake recipes, for those wishing to use the open source cross-compilation environment.

OpenEmbedded is an automated build environment aimed at providing a repository of everything needed to cross-compile embedded filesystem images from scratch — toolchains, sourcecode, XML-based “recipe” files, and automated “bitbake” make scripts. It evolved from tools created by developers targeting the Sharp Zaurus, a Linux PDA, and today is used by several high-profile Linux development projects, including the Poky Linux mobile distribution and the OpenMoko project to build a completely open Linux distribution for mobile phones.

Lots more information about Gumstix's OE repository can be found on the company's developer wiki, here. OpenEmbedded has a reputation for being quite powerful and flexible, albeit with a significant learning curve, and at least one company — Embedded Alley — specializes in OE set-up and configuration services.